Ctenacanthiformes is an
extinct order
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
* Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...
of
chondrichthyan
Chondrichthyes (; ) is a class that contains the cartilaginous fishes that have skeletons primarily composed of cartilage. They can be contrasted with the Osteichthyes or ''bony fishes'', which have skeletons primarily composed of bone tissue. C ...
fish. They possessed ornamented fin spines and
cladodont This is a typical Cladodont tooth, of a Glikmanius.html" ;"title="shark called ''Glikmanius">shark called ''Glikmanius''
Cladodont (from Latin cladus, meaning branch and Greek Odon, meaning tooth) is the term for a common category of early Devonia ...
dentition. Members of the family Ctenacanthidae may have survived into the
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...
based on teeth found in deep water deposits of
Valanginian
In the geologic timescale, the Valanginian is an age or stage of the Early or Lower Cretaceous. It spans between 139.8 ± 3.0 Ma and 132.9 ± 2.0 Ma (million years ago). The Valanginian Stage succeeds the Berriasian Stage of the Lower Cretac ...
age in France and Austria.
References
Prehistoric cartilaginous fish orders
{{Paleo-cartilaginous-fish-stub